What’s not to Love about Kale…

In the mornings I love to take my cup of tea or coffee and me out to the garden and peruse. What’s amazing is that despite the super cold winter, there a few kale plants that have popped up from hardy seeds that I threw in last year. And if you know me you also know that I love my kale, so I am extremely delighted.

What’s not to love about kale?

1. kale is a superfood, need I say more? Yes I will- It’s a member of the Brassica family of vegetables, which include cabbage and brussels sprouts which have gained quite the reputation as potential cancer-fighting foods. Kale is packed with the organosulfur compounds that may lessen the occurrence of some cancers. Studies also suggest that the phytonutrients in kale and other Brassicas may actually help the liver neutralize potentially cancerous substances.

2. Kale is full of beta-carotene, an important nutrient for good vision also the prevention of cataracts.

3. Kale is also an excellent source of vitamin C, just one cup will give you 88% of your RDA od vitamin C which is great fro your immune system and helpful for protection against viruses like the common cold as well as the flu.

4.,Kale is rich in minerals, such as iron, manganese, calcium and potassium. Potassium is excellent to help reduce blood pressure. Calcium is needed for optimal bone integrity.

5. A cup of kale provides 10.4% of the daily value for fiber, which has been shown to reduce high cholesterol levels. Fiber can also help out by keeping blood sugar levels under control, so kale is an excellent vegetable for people with diabetes.

 

I may have shared this salad with you last year but that was oh so long ago and this is tradition so here is one of my favorite raw super healthy recipes….

 

Raw Kale Avocado Salad

 

1 bunch kale, take leaves off the stem and place in bowl and chop (about 8 to 10 cups)

1 avocado, diced

1 cup sunflower seeds, soaked for 6 to 8 hours

Dressing:

3 to 4 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

3 to 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 to 2 cloves garlic, crushed

1/2 teaspoon sea salt and/or kelp

freshly ground black pepper

 

optional: mushrooms, red onion, shallots, grated carrots, beets, tomatoes, chopped parsley, dill, arugula would all be delicious. …you get the message, add what you love. Sometimes I even add my broken up flackers (http://www.drinthekitchen.com/) for more flavor, crunch and extra good omega-3 oils.

 

Chop the kale into small pieces and add it to a large bowl. In a smaller, separate bowl whisk together the dressing. Add the dressing to the salad and gently massage it into the kale with your hands. This will soften it almost immediately. Then add the diced avocado and whatever other vegetables you like. Drain and rinse the sunflower seeds and add them to the salad as well. Gently toss together and yum!

 

KALE CHIPS

1 clove garlic

• 1 C Cashews, soaked at least 8 hours, rinsed and drained or you can use cahew butter as well
• 1/4 C Nutritional Yeast*
• 1/3 C water
• 2 T Olive Oil
• 1/2 tsp Smoked Paprika
• 1/4 tsp Chipotle (spice)
• Pinch Sea Salt

With processor running, drop in garlic and mince. Add the rest of the ingredients and process until smooth. Pour over kale chips in a bowl and massage until kale is coated. Bake on high in oven until crisp or dehydrate on screens at 115 for 4-6 hours or until crisp. *Nutritional yeast is not raw but used frequently in raw food recipes.